


i stay behind the wheel and never half-speed

by sheer



Category: RuPaul's Drag Race (US) RPF, RuPaul's Drag Race UK RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Formula One, F/F, Rivals to Lovers, btw ignore the title i just chose some random mac miller lyrics, enjoy, especially with olivia/denali/mik/rosé, my writing is very shit so here's 7k words of it, taywhora that is, there is a lot of drama between them all
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-13 12:55:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29153901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sheer/pseuds/sheer
Summary: "you think you're so good, huh?" tayce came closer to her rival, raising her voice once more. "you think you're so great. i have an offer from mercedes. fucking mercedes. i'll never have to be in the same garage as you," she was close enough now that a'whora could feel her breath on her face. "because you'll never be good enough for them."they stared each other down before an engineer called a'whora over. she glared at tayce as she walked by, knocking their shoulders together with as much force as she could.the thing tayce didn't know - a'whora had an offer from mercedes...and she was taking it.
Relationships: A'Whora/Tayce (Drag Race), Cheryl Hole/Blu Hydrangea, Denali/Gottmik (Drag Race), Ellie Diamond/Lawrence Chaney, Gigi Goode/Crystal Methyd, Jackie Cox/Jan Sport, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Nicky Doll/Jaida Essence Hall, Olivia Lux/Rosé, Past Denali/Rosé, Tia Kofi/Veronica Green, and probably eventually again, just wait until bahrain and sakhir
Comments: 18
Kudos: 39





	i stay behind the wheel and never half-speed

**Author's Note:**

> look at my shit writing! omg! it's finally here!  
> btw sorry for any typos n shit but im too lazy to fix them

**2020 FORMULA 2 SEASON**

"what the fuck was that?" tayce was full on yelling now, slamming her helmet on the table next to them. this wasn't the first time something like this happened - she knew a'whora wasn't one to listen to anything or anyone.

"i won us more points," a'whora snapped, crossing her arms. their rivalry had been heating up for two years now, starting from when they were in formula three and into formula two - it had only gotten worse when they found out they were teammates  
.  
"they told you to let me pass," tayce motioned to the few team members behind them. "and you should've fucking listened! it's a team order!"

"i knew i could finish," a'whora shrugged, smirking. "so i did."

"and i could've won that race," tayce took a step towards a'whora. "unlike you."

"well, which one of us has offers from four different teams in f1 next year?"

"you think you're so good, huh?" tayce came closer to her rival, raising her voice once more. "you think you're so great. i have an offer from mercedes. fucking mercedes. i'll never have to be in the same pitbox as you," she was close enough now that a'whora could feel her breath on her face. "because you'll never be good enough for them."

they stared each other down before an engineer called a'whora over. she glared at tayce as she walked by, knocking their shoulders together with as much force as she could.

the thing tayce didn't know - a'whora had an offer from mercedes…

and she was taking it.

**2021 FORMULA 1 SEASON - PROMO SHOOT**

"can you show me the grid for this year again?" a'whora was laying on the rather uncomfortable hotel bed, promo shoots later that day. mercedes had just announced that she would be driving with them for the next three years.

"sure thing," her agent replied, pulling out a piece of paper and handing it to the racer. "should be everyone. some aren't announced yet, they're waiting for shoots to be done first."

a'whora hummed in response, scanning over each of the names. she rolled her eyes as she read tayce's - it was her worst nightmare. she had to be on the same team as her rival again.

mclaren had signed gigi goode and nicky doll. a'whora knew the first was supposed to be a rising star - f2 champion the year before she herself was in it, multiple podiums and fastest laps in f1. the latter was a little behind her teammate, problems with the car holding her back. when she wasn't having problems... she was a real threat.

haas had gone with tia kofi and veronica green. the team had decided to keep its duo from last season - they didn't end up with many points, but with the car they had it was still considered an achievement.

williams ended up with ellie diamond and olivia lux. to youngsters full of potential. with the worst car on the grid they somehow manage to stay in the middle - showing just how much potential they do have.

red bull has jaida essence hall and asttina mandella. they were both elite drivers, multiple first place finishes and fastest laps between them - but they have been just shy of the world championship and constructors championship.

alfa romeo resigned jackie cox and bimini bon boulash. not the fastest team - but two drivers who do the best with what they have. they managed to score a few points with the two last season.

aston martin signed jan sport and denali foxx. jan sport had come fourth in the championship standings last season - denali had replaced her teammate, joey jay, who wasn't as successful - tenth. denali had come close to snatching the f2 championship from tayce - but just fell short.  
alpine had mik foxx and rosé sport. mik had performed well in each season she was in - and the first trans person to do so. rosé - the sister of jan - won an f3 championship and signed with alpine when it was still renault - she had gotten them multiple podiums.

ferrari got cheryl hole and cherry valentine. cheryl had won two world championships before - she had only been in f1 for three years at that point. she had been signed to alpha tauri her first year - and then moved to ferrari and the rest is history. cherry is a great driver - she's won many championships before f1. she is expected to do quite well.

alpha tauri signed blu hydrangea and divina de campo. both red bull academy drivers - blu was full of potential, her first year in f1 expected to be exciting. divina had raced for the main team before, but was demoted to the sister team. she was a good driver, but wasn't getting the results they needed.

a'whora handed the paper back to her agent, sighing. this grid was good. so many drivers - it was sure to be a close championship race.

"when's the shoot?" she asked, standing up and walking to the window. it was a good day - the sun shining, the bright blue sky - she liked australia already.

"about two hours - i'll leave you to get ready. they expect you to be in your jumpsuit and cap when you arrive. they're in a bit of a rush, so you'll do some solo, some with tayce, some with the car and then some with both of you and the team."

she heard the door shut and she opened the closet, the jumpsuit she'd dreamt of wearing right in front of her. a small smile came to her lips as she ran her fingers down the sleeves.

she was ready pretty quick - she had requested to do her own makeup and they said yes, surprisingly. she had about thirty minutes to spare before she had to leave, so she decided to go downstairs and see if anyone else was there.

as she got off the elevator she saw both the mclaren drivers and a woman she didn't know. she looked around and saw one of the williams drivers - the ellie one, she thought - with someone in a mercedes shirt. she decided to go over - williams being mercedes' sister team and all.

"aurora!" the engineer - she she pretty sure her name was lawrence - motioned her over. "how're you feeling?"

"pretty good," a'whora chuckled, running a hand through her hair. "little nervous, but i guess that's normal. how're you two?"

"i, for one, am so excited," lawrence looked around the lobby, more drivers arriving. "i get to be an engineer for the best team all while having my favourite person on our sister team."

"and just get to race," ellie grinned, excitement clear in her voice. "i don't even care if the team's not the fastest, just being here is amazing."

"well, you're one hell of a driver," a'whora already liked her, she seemed like a joy to be around. "you're gonna be a legend someday, i know it."

"i think it's time for us to go," lawrence said after a moment gesturing at some of the mercedes and williams team members at the door, vans outside. they didn't really get to talk all that much, but anyone involved in f1 knew that it was a busy job. "you two ready?"

the three made their way over, making some small talk along the way. ellie told her about how she met lawrence - they had bumped into each other at silverstone. literally. they had accidentally walked into each other, lawrence spilling her drink on ellie. she gave ellie her number, promising to get her a replacement - and the rest is history.

"wow. you guys really are a romcom, huh?" a'whora joked, getting into the van marked for mercedes, lawrence following. "see you soon, alright?" she waved at the williams driver, and then saw _her_.

she sighed, noticing the only empty seat was next to her. most of the engineers were going in their own cars - others with the drivers. it was mostly the engineers that worked directly with the drivers, ones who talked on the team radio.

tayce wordlessly sat next to a'whora, never once looking at her. a'whora made small talk with lawrence for most of the ride, but didn't miss how tayce kept shifting in her seat and taking deep breaths.

"you alright?" a'whora asked softly, turning to her teammate. she still hated her with everything - tayce was so perfect. she had the looks, the skills.. everything someone could ever want.

"fine." tayce muttered, staring out the window. a'whora just sighed and and started talking with lawrence again, soon arriving at the location of the shoot.

"alright, mercedes, you're over here!" someone called out - a'whora thought they looked like a sam. the team quickly made their way over, and a'whora was directed to stand in front of a white curtain, told to do a variety of different poses.

she sat on a small chair with a bottle of water, watching as tayce did the same as she did - she couldn't help but think that she looked damn good in that suit.

she mentally cursed at herself for thinking that - she was supposed to hate her. after everything tayce has done - every collision, argument, and even that one physical fight after they caused each other to crash. yet, here she was, looking tayce up and down and feeling her face heat up.

"aurora," sam said, snapping his fingers. "aurora!"

a'whora snapped out of it, standing up and walking over. it was time for some shots of them together, and then with the cars.

they stood with their arms crossed and backs to each other, one looking serious and one with smiles. like anyone believed they'd smile while standing within five feet of each other.

they moved the two over to the black and blue cars, having them stand next to them, lean on the front, and finally inside. they handed them their helmets - a'whora's was bright blue with a copy of the mercedes livery, sponsors on top. she looked over at tayce's and saw it was completely different from what her f2 helmet had been. it had red and the mercedes livery, a lot more sponsors than a'whora. she was a little jealous - she had one a few more races, yes, but a'whora also didn't crash as much. she thought that she was the better driver, but then again she might just be biased because it's herself.

they both got of the cars and leaned on the front, their engineers and team members surrounding them. that was the end of the team shoot, so they moved outside and went to the circuit. they stood in the pit lane, more drivers arriving soon after. they were going to take a grid picture, and mercedes were in the very middle - which also meant they were at the back.

one of the mclaren drivers - a'whora was pretty sure her name was gigi - came over to them.

"so you're the mercs, huh?" gigi smirked, and tayce crossed her arms while nodding.

"yeah," a'whora replied, arching a brow. "you can call me the best driver on the grid."

"if you were really the best driver, you would've won the championship." tayce didn't look at her, yet a'whora could tell she had that stupid grin on her face.

"oh really?" gigi cocked her head to the side, laughing softly.

"don't listen to her," a'whora knocked tayce's shoulder with her own, hoping it'd appear playful - yet it wasn't at all. she hated when tayce brought it up. she was still bitter that the crash between herself and denali foxx had stopped her from taking the title. "everyone knows if foxx hadn't sent both of us into the wall, i would've gotten that."

"says the one who is in p6," tayce snorted, shaking her head. "give it up, aurora, you know you wouldn't have gotten that."

"why don't you shut your mouth for once, tayce?" a'whora turned to her, her voice taking an annoyed tone.

"oh please, we all know you're never going to make it past one year in f1."

a'whora's jaw tightened as she looked away, trying to calm herself down. if only tayce knew how insecure she was about this - she looked confident, but on the inside she was telling herself that she couldn't do it, that she was going to fail.

"well, i gotta go," gigi noticed the tension, deciding it might be best for her to leave before one of them did something they regret - at least in front of her. "don't kill each other."

"no promises." tayce muttered, shifting her gaze to her teammate.

"what're you looking at?"

"nothing." tayce quickly looked away, sighing.

a'whora shook her head, walking into the pitbox and taking a seat. with their black suits, it got hotter than she was expecting. she finished her water, looking at the bright blue sky.

"they're waiting for us." tayce said after a moment, leaning on the wall. she didn't say anything else - the tension was thick.

a'whora wordlessly stood up, grabbing her helmet and pushing past tayce, going to the track.  
they were directed to the back - they were right in the middle, at the start of the promo they'd be the first thing you'd see.

the rest of the grid was there - they all got into position, each driver holding their helmet. most had serious looks on their face - except for mik and olivia. they were both grinning, looking like they were having the time of their lives.

soon after they were back in the vans, heading back to the hotel. the first practice was tomorrow, and a'whora couldn't wait. she was finally in f1. this had been her dream ever since she was little, and now she was here and driving for the best team on the grid.

sure, she had to be teammates with tayce - but she wasn't afraid of her.

she was going to kick her ass.

**2021 FORMULA 1 SEASON - AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX**

**PRACTICE ONE**

tayce woke up, alarm blaring. it took her a moment, but it all hit her at once - she was in australia. she was racing for mercedes. she was in f1.

she rubbed her eyes and grabbed her phone, checking the time. she still had three hours until she had to be at the circuit. she sighed and shut it off, staring at the ceiling for a few.  
her phone vibrated - it was a message from lawrence. the engineer was mostly on a'whora's side of the garage, but wasn't limited to it.

_you coming down? they got beans_

anyone who knew tayce knew she loved beans - on toast, on pasta, on rice, on their own - her friends back home said she ate them religiously. she got ready as quickly as possible, rushing down the stairs.

"tayce!" lawrence waved wildly at her - she could tell that the mclaren drivers and one of the williams drivers were there. and of fucking course, the only free spot was next to a'whora. it was almost as if someone was doing this on purpose.

tayce waved back, going to get a plate of breakfast and joining them. she ate quickly - they were all just mostly chatting about life.

"you have anyone back home, tayce?" nicky asked, resting her chin on her palm.

"no, no. never had the time," tayce sighed, leaning back in her chair. she could see a'whora glance at her, almost as if she was surprised - most people assumed she was dating someone, they always asked if she had a boyfriend. she hated that question, always changing the subject when it was brought up. "you?"

"was never one for settling down," nicky laughed softly, shaking her head. "but i've been going out with jaida for a while."

tayce nodded as nicky turned to a'whora, asking her the same question.

"never," a'whora shrugged. "no one has ever been worthy of me." she joked, earning a few laughs from the table.

"how about you?" a'whora looked at gigi, who had a small smile on her face at the question.

"i got married in the offseason," gigi got out her phone and showed them a picture of a brunette with curls, surrounded by art supplies, holding a ginger cat. "her name's crystal. light of my life, really. no one outside of f1 knows besides a few people."

a'whora nodded, and tayce noticed how.. happy gigi looked. she wasn't sure how one could ever find someone and be so in love to marry them - she'd never felt that way for anyone. didn't plan on it, either.

lawrence told them all the story about how she and ellie met, and a'whora added on that it was like they were in a romcom. tayce just smiled at them, and eventually it was time to get ready for practice.

she went up to her hotel room and got ready, looking at herself in the mirror and grinning. she was finally here. she was going to be a world champion.

at the circuit she talked to some engineers before getting out on track, doing two laps to warm up her tyres before starting to set real lap times. her first lap got her in p5, her second p2. as she pulled into the pit lane she looked at her positions.

"are you fucking kidding me?" she muttered to herself, seeing that a'whora set the fastest lap of practice by two hundredths.

she sat down for a few, watching as a'whora pulled in to get a chance of tyres. the engineers congratulated her on the good laps and she looked on top of the world.

"it's just practice," tayce sighed. "let's see how you do in qualifying, yeah?"

"jesus christ tayce, can't you just be happy for me?" a'whora shook her head, slamming her helmet down. "i'm finally living my dream and doing it well, don't be a fucking bitch!"

"doing it well? give me a break." tayce scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"well, i'm in p1, so i'd shut up if i were you." a'whora snapped, picking up a water bottle and going back to her engineers. the pitbox was silent, everyone processing what just happened - most of them hadn't been in the same room as them before, never witnessing something like this - which was usual for the two.

tayce wordlessly got up and put on her helmet, getting in her car and getting back out on the circuit. everything was going well and she was getting good lap times, but just shy of a'whora's fastest lap.

"tayce, there's some debris on the track near turn 8. just a heads up. still p2, still two hundredths behind aurora."

hearing that she was still behind just made her speed up, forgetting about the warning. she ran right over it, getting a puncture and slamming into the barrier, full speed.

"holy shit!" lawrence yelled, and the pitbox was chaos. everyone was running around, doing all sorts. the session was red flagged.

"red flag, aurora. red flag. pull into the pitlane."

"is everything alright?" a'whora slowed down, coming around the final turn.

"tayce crashed. we don't have more information right now. all we know is that there's a small fire."

a'whora was silent, processing the information. it was a lot - as much as she hated tayce, she would never wish this on her worst enemy. she'd crashed before, so many times, but this was different. it didn't seem like much but she'd heard so many stories of what looked like small crashes being really, really bad.

everyone pulled into the pit lane and was taken into the box, waiting for more news. the medical car was over at tayce's car but they weren't showing footage, leaving everyone on their toes.

a'whora paced back and forth, shaking her head. she couldn't believe it - she felt sick.

"aurora," lawrence came over, putting a hand on her shoulder. "they're taking her to the hospital but she should be fine. some minor injuries - they don't think she's going to race this weekend."

a'whora nodded, watching on the tv as they took the smashed car away. it didn't look like much from the back, but the front did not look good.

"the session's over. you wanna go see her?"

"i don't think she'd wanna see me," a'whora said after a moment, sighing. "i'll stay here. give me an update?" she was genuinely concerned - she still hated her guts, but she hated every minute not knowing if she was okay more.

throughout the day she checked her phone constantly, waiting for lawrence to text her that tayce was okay. it left her on edge.

she went down to dinner, the table feeling a lot emptier without tayce and lawrence. they made some small talk, but it just didn't feel right. a'whora didn't eat much, saying goodnight to gigi, nicky and ellie.

after she'd been watching telly for about an hour, she got a text from lawrence.

_she's okay._

a'whora let out a sigh of relief - it was horrible not knowing if she’d see her again. as much as she hates her, she never wants that to happen to her again.

she slept a little easier that night, just knowing that her teammate was okay. she hated that feeling of not knowing if tayce was okay - was it bad that she couldn't imagine a world without her rival?

**PRACTICE 2**

tayce was released from the hospital only having a few minor injuries - yet it was still enough to keep her from racing in the opening grand prix.

she was allowed to come and watch, so she sat in the pitbox while waiting for everyone to come to the circuit. she was playing on her phone, some stupid game that she wasn't even sure the point of was on her screen.

"hey," a voice she immediately recognized as lawrence called out, and she looked up to see her waving. "how's it going?"

"i'm fine, a little sore." tayce sighed, picking up a bottle of water. she started seeing more and more people arrive, some asking if she was okay. it got a little tiring after a while, but she didn't say anything. she knew she was lucky to be there, so if this was the price she had to pay, so be it.

"brought you this," lawrence handed her a paper bag with a name of a restaurant she'd never heard of printed on the front. "i know how much you like 'em."

she opened it up to find two tubs of beans. she grinned at lawrence, shaking her head.  
"thanks." tayce laughed softly, taking the tubs out. it was the perfect way to start the day after all that happened.

"you're welcome, tayce," lawrence saw a'whora walk in, and waved at the woman. "right. well, i gotta go. have fun."

tayce looked at the woman, wondering what she had been doing while she was in the hospital maybe a part of her had hoped a’whora would show up - just maybe. she sighed and made some small talk with a few engineers.

soon after, ellie came in wearing a mercedes suit. tayce waved at her, and got an enthusiastic wave back.

she watched the two go out onto the track, leaning back in her chair. ellie, a'whora and jaida were all fighting for p1, asttina not far behind.

when there was about 15 minutes left, some engineers seemed to panic.

"get out of the car, get out now!"

tayce stood up and walked towards lawrence, trying to see what was happening.

"pull over and get out! you need to get out, aurora!"

tayce looked up at the tv and saw the back of a'whora's car in flames and she gasped. she had seen stuff like this before, but experiencing it with a grid member - your teammate - was horrible. she felt her stomach drop as she watched her pull over.

a'whora got out before too much happened, looking frustrated. she kicked the barrier before walking behind it, getting a ride on the scooter.

a'whora walked in the pitbox and slammed her helmet down, kicking the table leg.

"fuck!" she yelled, looking at the ceiling. "what happened out there?"

"it was an engine failure. not your fault." lawrence explained as they brought ellie in, wanting to do a quick check on the car despite not seeing anything - after that, they would rather be safe.

a'whora was out the rest of the session, jaida ending up in p1 by three hundredths. ellie was p2, asttina p3 by less than a tenth.

"good job." a'whora congratulated ellie before making her way outside and to the hotel, not wanting to stick around for questions.

tayce should be happy she didn't set a time - they were rivals. all she'd ever wanted was to see a'whora fail.

why did this leave her feeling the exact opposite?

later, a'whora didn't show up to dinner. it was the same people at the table as the breakfast a few days before - gigi, nicky, lawrence and ellie.

"have you seen aurora?" gigi asked, and tayce just shook her head. she had to admit, she was a little curious. usually she wouldn't care - she had never cared about a'whora unless she was getting in her way - she wasn’t sure why this was different.

"huh. weird." nicky sighed, and they mostly ate in silence after that.

"guys," gigi spoke up after a while, getting their attention. "my wife is coming to the race, do you think i could introduce her to you all? she's a huge fan of you all." gigi looked flustered - they all agreed, and gigi seemed over the moon.

tayce went back to her room and scrolled through twitter, looking at the news. nothing much was happening, just some dumb shit she couldn't care less about.

she thought about texting a'whora - only to realise she didn't have her number.

guess she never cared enough to ask - she never wanted to willingly talk to her.

she sighed and turned off the light, settling down to get some sleep.

**PRACTICE 3**

a'whora woke up, rubbing her eyes. she remembered what happened yesterday, groaning and shaking her head.

she quickly got ready and went down for breakfast, their usual table all there.

she got her food and wordlessly sat next to tayce, all the talking just background noise.

"you alright?" tayce asked softly, just so the two could hear.

"fine." a'whora muttered, and tayce just arched a brow, leaning back and eating her food.

"have we got some media stuff today?" tayce asked, and lawrence nodded.

"yeah, mostly gonna be stuff about quali. they're probably going to want to talk to you about the crash, is that okay?"

"yeah, it's.. fine." tayce said after a moment, though the sound of her voice wasn't very convincing. lawrence didn't push, just telling them all they should get ready. it was the final practice, the last day they could make changes before it all began.

a'whora only nodded, going upstairs and getting changed. she was quiet, not even talking to her engineers. she had been beating herself up about the other day, telling herself it was all her fault. she wouldn't tell anyone that, though, just wanting to get back on the track and set a few times.

she did some warm up laps before setting some fast times, moving up through the positions. she went from p7 to p5, p5 to p3, and finally p1. she pulled into the pit lane, getting a change of tyres and to take a short break.

she sat in her chair and leaned back, tilting her head back and closing her eyes. she tried to convince herself that she was doing good - but there was that small voice in the back of her head telling her that she’d crash or she’d do something wrong.

ellie was setting good lap times, sitting in p3 behind asttina. she came in to take a small break and discuss strategy - the time in practice didn’t necessarily matter, but when it came to qualifying, they needed to be the fastest out there.

they decided to keep a’whora in for the rest of practice - they could feel the anger coming off of her. they weren’t sure at what - but they didn’t want to risk anything. they let ellie go back out, and she managed to get into p2 before the end of practice.

“fastest again!” lawrence clasped a’whora’s shoulder, grinning. “be proud of it! you’re the best driver out there right now.”

“just wait ‘till i get back out there,” tayce smirked. “i’ll put you in your place.”

“yeah, yeah, whatever.” a’whora sighed before going out to do media, and she was paired up with a reporter she couldn’t remember the name of.

“so, aurora, how would you describe practice today?”

“uh, it’s was good, yeah. nice to be on the top spot.” a’whora replied with a tight lipped smile, putting her hands on her hips.

“after your engine failure last week, are you sure you’re going to be able to rise up?”

“i’m ready for everything,” a’whora sighed, nodding. “no matter what. i might not have gotten that f2 championship, but just you wait. i’m going to be world champion.”

“alright, one last thing,” the reporter’s smile faded - a’whora knew what was coming. “after tayce’s crash last week, how do you feel about ellie diamond replacing her? is it easier going against a less experienced teammate?”

“not at all,” she couldn’t help but scoff. “ellie’s an amazing driver, anyone who says otherwise is lying. she’s got so much potential and she’s going to prove to you that just because she’s a rookie doesn’t mean she’s not good.”

“thank you for you time, aurora.”

a’whora just nodded before leaving for the hotel, not wanting to stick around. she got changed before heading down for dinner, their usual table full again.

“so, are you guys ready for quali tomorrow?” ellie asked once they all sat down, and most just nodded. you could feel the nerves from everyone - especially the rookies.

“hopefully we can get that one-two, right?” a’whora arched a brow at ellie, grinning. ellie laughed and nodded - a’whora felt a weight lifted off her shoulders with ellie’s confidence. not that she didn’t think ellie could do it - she thought that she herself couldn’t do it.

“and you’ll be the two in bahrain.” tayce smirked, looking at a’whora.

“shut up, tayce.” a’whora gently punched her in the arm, and there was no playfulness at all. the two hadn’t talked much since the crash, but when they did, you could feel the tension.

“cut it out, you two,” lawrence cut in. “we can feel the sexual tension all around us.”

the table went silent, and a’whora could feel her entire body heating up.

“ew, never.” tayce muttered, looking everywhere but a’whora.

“yeah, what she said..” a’whora just looked at her plate, just playing with her food. the silence was deafening after that, no one saying anything until they all said their goodbyes for the night.

a’whora went to sleep almost immediately, but lawrence’s words still lingered in her thoughts.

there wasn’t sexual tension.

right?

**QUALIFYING**

they were at the circuit early, ready to show the world how great they really are. a’whora and ellie were first on the track, moving into p1 and p2. they kept that throughout q1, doing multiple laps and setting new fast laps almost everytime.

they quickly moved onto q2, and they didn’t manage to move up into the top 3 until the very end, ellie taking p1 and a’whora p3. this just made a’whora even more determined to take pole.  
she kept going around the track, faster each time. she was in pole position by more than a tenth. no one was coming close. ellie was in p2 behind her, and they took that one-two. asttina was in p3 behind them, gigi in p4.

a’whora congratulated ellie on p2, giving her a hug before they took pictures to celebrate a’whora’s first pole. she caught tayce looking over at them, a fond smile on their face.

surely not - tayce would never smile at a’whora in a good way - only when she’s failing at something.

“c’mon tayce!” ellie called out, motioning her over. “get in here!”

a’whora probably would’ve said something to get her out. but she couldn’t find it in her - tayce looked genuinely happy for them, which a’whora almost couldn’t believe.

“hey, you did good.” tayce pulled a’whora off to the side so they could talk alone.

“what?” a’whora couldn’t believe it - tayce had never said anything like that to her before. and, to be fair, a’whora had never said anything like that to tayce either. “you? congratulating me?”

“aurora, i mean it,” tayce sighed, looking at the ground. “you really did do good, okay? but if you tell anyone about this, i’ll punch you in the face.”

“if you punched me in the face, i’d thank you.” a’whora joked, giving tayce a wink. she didn’t know why she even said that - if lawrence ever heard, they’d never hear the end of it.

“yeah, yeah,” tayce looked at her, giving her a soft smile. “you might be my rival, but.. i dunno, you’re my teammate too.”

a’whora had never seen this side of tayce before - well, they had never been in a room together long enough to even have conversation unless they were fighting.

“go win that, okay? i want to see you do well before i kick your ass in bahrain.” she sent a’whora a wink, who stuck her tongue out at her in response.

she just stood there a moment, thinking about what just happened - she’d never heard tayce say anything close to that - and to a’whora of all people?

a’whora made her way out to the reporters, getting paired with the one from yesterday. a’whora sighed - she didn’t like her all that much.

“so, aurora, your first career pole - how does it feel?”

“feels great, honestly. can’t believe it. i’m really living the dream right now.” a’whora responded with a soft chuckle, shaking her head.

“your teammate tayce was seen over with you at the mercedes pitbox, can you tell me a bit about that?”

“uhm,” a’whora rubbed the back of her neck, visibly uncomfortable. “it was a personal conversation, i’m not comfortable discussing this.”

“not even a little bit?”

“alright, that’s it. this interview is over.” a’whora left, muscles tense. she felt anger, confusion.. everything. they were always trying to get some of them to admit something personal - she hated it, but it was all part of the job.

later at dinner, she sat next to tayce, giving her a small smile. if anyone noticed that they weren’t at each other’s throats like they usually were, they didn’t mention it - until lawrence piped up.

“so, what happened with that reporter earlier, a’whora? you seemed very defensive.”

“well, uh,” a’whora’s mind went blank, unsure of what to say. she couldn’t think of anything - luckily, tayce covered for her.

“we had an argument earlier. she didn’t want to talk about it.” tayce shrugged, and a’whora made a mental note to thank her later.

“really?” lawrence was obviously unconvinced but didn’t push further.

“can’t wait for you all to meet crystal tomorrow,” gigi said after a few, and that got the table talking again. “she’s a huge fan of you, tayce. she can’t stop talking about you.”

tayce smiled, nodding. she wasn’t usually one for meeting fans - but this sounded like something she could rub in a'whora's face for a long time.

“you’ve been moved to second place? ouch.” a’whora joked and gigi shook her head, laughing softly.

“yeah- she’s my whole world. i don’t know what i’d do without her,” gigi replied, her phone vibrating. “speaking of- i’ll be right back.”

the rest of dinner was full of laughter, the awkward moment between them gone. they were all ready for tomorrow - as ready as they could be, at least.

**GRAND PRIX**

a’whora woke up, her alarm too loud for how early it was. they had to be at the circuit earlier than normal this time, multiple checks and such needing to be done. they were having breakfast and then straight to the circuit.

a’whora quickly threw on her jumpsuit, tying the sleeves around her waist. her muscles were on show - and she didn’t think anything of it until nicky pointed something out.

“ooh, aurora! who’re you trying to impress?” nicky whistled from her usual spot, a shit eating grin on her face.

“shut up,” a’whora laughed, shaking her head as she went to grab her food. “don’t make me kick your ass.”

nicky put her hands up in mock surrender, and they made some more small talk as they waited for the others - only they never did.

“guess they must’ve already gone to the circuit,” nicky sighed as she stood up. “you coming with?”

“why not?” a’whora shrugged, following the mclaren driver. it might be nice to have someone else to go to the circuit with for once.

it didn’t take long - they made their way through the sea of people, going their separate ways. a’whora discussed strategy with lawrence for a few before talking with ellie.

“you ready for this?” a’whora smiled at her - she wasn’t sure if she was even ready herself, but she was determined to get this win. they figured out a pit strategy that should keep them both in p1 and p2 - hopefully with a one-two win.

“as i’ll ever be,” ellie replied, looking around the pitbox. “it doesn’t even feel real, honestly.”

before a’whora could respond, everything was being taken out to the grid. they both followed, grabbing their helmets and telling each other ‘good luck’ one last time.

she took one last look around her, taking a deep breath before putting her helmet on and getting in the car. it was almost time for the lights to go out - for her first race in f1.

“alright aurora, good luck out there. we’ll give you updates every once in a while and you can ask for specific updates at any time. pit window opens lap twelve, lasts through 26. come in lap 24. we’ll let you know if anything changes.”

“alright, yeah. thanks for all you’ve done these past few days. can’t wait to start the season with you all.” a’whore replied, keeping it short and simple. her whole focus was on the start - she had to get it just right.  
she watched as the red lights went out one by one, speeding away towards the first turn as the final one went out. she got the start she dreamed of, staying ahead of everyone else.

going through the track was a breeze, she knew it by heart after all the practices she’d done here over the years. she didn’t let anyone get close - there was 5 seconds between herself and ellie in p2.

when it came time to pit, everyone else already had besides ellie. they brought a’whora in first on lap 24, completing the stop in 2.2 seconds. she went out on mediums - she had started on softs and these should last the remaining 34 laps.

everything was going good - she set the fastest lap of the race on lap 36 when lawrence came on the radio.

“red flag, red flag, slow down and pull into the pit lane. go around the track slowly, avoid the mclaren and ferrari.”

“who’s in the mclaren?” a’whora could only hope it wasn’t gigi - she hadn’t known her long, but the woman she’d thought would be a btich turned out to be the sweetest. she thought of her wife watching from the pit lane and sent up a silent prayer to a god she didn’t believe in.

“it’s goode in the mclaren and valentine in the ferrari. they smashed straight into each other but appear to be moving. medical car is there and getting them out. both going to be going to the hospital. they’re going to have to repair the barrier, so it’ll be a while before we’re back out there.”

a’whora pulled into the pit lane, ellie already in front of her. they brought them both inside and a’whora paced around the garage, waiting for news on them both. they already had one of them crash - why did it have to be another?

“aurora,” lawrence called her over and she assumed it was news on gigi, so she ran towards her. “they’ve repaired the barrier, you’re going back out in fifteen.”

“we’re going back out without news on either of them?” a’whora scoffed, shaking her head. she already went through this with tayce crashing - she could barely focus on anything then, and now she was supposed to race while knowing one of her friends wasn’t okay?

“i’m sorry, aurora, but it’s not my decision.”

a’whora only nodded as everything was moved to the track and they got ready for a standing start. she managed to get another good start, thankfully, but so did jaida behind her. she knew she had to push, so she did. she managed to pull ahead, keeping more than two seconds between them.

the rest of the race was quite uneventful, but she got her first win in f1. she tried to look happy on the podium, but so much was on her mind that she wasn’t sure it was believable. you could see it on everyone’s faces - the crash looked horrible. the cars were smashed, and there was still no news on gigi or cherry.

they still celebrated - it was herself in p1, jaida in p2 and ellie in p3. it wasn’t the one-two they had hoped for, but they still celebrated as if it was one. they sprayed champagne everywhere until they couldn’t anymore, taking a few photos together.

afterwards, a’whora went and took some pictures with the team and some pictures with ellie before going back to the hotel, waiting for some news on gigi. she went to dinner but no one really spoke, the air tense. they didn’t know what to say - there wasn’t really anything to say. 

they went to sleep with no news - they had kept everything under wraps. not one of the drivers or team members knew what was going on with the two who crashed, only the people at the hospital.

she went to sleep - or tried, at least. it was hard when her mind was racing. she tried everything she knew to try and help her fall asleep - with what she could in her hotel room. there wasn’t much, and nothing worked.

she eventually drifted off to sleep, but only for a few hours. when she woke it was still dark out, the tv playing softly in the background.

she put on some warmer clothes and went to the lobby, surprised to see tayce there.

“can’t sleep?” she called out, making the brunette jump in surprise.

“jesus aurora, you scared the shit out of me.”

“good.” a’whora smirked, but it quickly faded. she went and fell back onto the sofa, the silence deafening. there was nothing they could really say, just laying on both the sofas.

“you heard anything on gigi?” tayce asked after a moment, and a’whora just shook her head.

“no,” a’whora sighed, wondering what on earth could’ve been so bad that they won’t tell anyone. “we just have to hope she’s okay. cherry too.”

the two weren’t sure when they had fallen asleep - their soft snores were all that could be heard.

when it was morning, lawrence came down to the lobby and grinned.

“oh, this is gonna be great blackmail!”

**Author's Note:**

> this was for you discord


End file.
